Museum of Interesting Things Curator Denny Daniel displays a camera from the 1890s.

Denny Daniel’s goal is to teach young children how to become successful entrepreneurs through invention and innovation. The Museum of Interesting Things is his Daniel’s own traveling museum based in New York City, but is showcased like the Barnum & Bailey Circus. He uses his own personal Suburu Outback to travel wherever he is called with his team to show people young and old all of the antiques he has acquired over the years.

“I wouldn’t change my car for the world,” said Daniel. “It’s the most reliable vehicle and gets me where I need to show my museum.”

After a career in digital video, photography, and retouching old images for companies such as The Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Songs of Love and the New York Times, his love for acquiring old things began. He privately had his collection shown in museums like the Chelsea Art Museum and others. He wanted his unique collection to inspire anyone to learn from the past to make the future better.

“My goal was to do something big, something that changed the lives of people,” added Daniel.

His collection began in the ‘80s when he was in high school reading Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities, which spawned his love for antique books.

During the recession, Daniel took that opportunity to buy as many antiques as he could find. The epiphany that led to the birth of his mobile museum came when one of his neighbor’s children came to his apartment and put together a very intricately built 1901 Thomas Edison Cylinder Phonograph.

“That was it for me, the look in his eyes said it all,” said Daniel. “I had to show this to other kids and make them see that they can be successful entrepreneurs, something the country is lacking.”

Daniel now travels to schools, does various shows in camps and even has a show set up for the Intrepid Museum. He added that the claim to fame for his museum was the channel 13 conference that allowed him to show his museum on television.

Although the museum is a growing hit, it still is a struggling small business going through a time of great economic hardship. He hopes it won’t be long before the Museum of Interesting Things starts doing more shows.

More information can be found online at www.museumthings.org. Or simply call Denny Daniel at (212) 274-8757...He loves to talk to people.